Author: TheStateLine

Hyderabad, Nov 4 (IANS) Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar will conduct the second phase of the trial on November 6 in connection with petitions filed by the BRS for the disqualification of its MLAs who face charges of defection to the ruling Congress.The trial under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution will be held on November 6, 7, 12, and 13.The hearing will be on the petitions for disqualification of four MLAs -- Dr Sanjay Kumar (Jagtial constituency), Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada), Tellam Venkatrao (Bhadrachalam), and Arekapudi Gandhi (Serilingampally).The Speaker will hear the cross-examination of the counsels of the petitioners by the four defected MLAs, and vice versa.The in-camera trial, which begins at 11 a.m. every day, will continue till 4 p.m.This is the sec...

Kochi, Nov 4 (IANS) Former ISRO Chairman Dr S. Somanath has called for embedding space-based oceanography into India’s marine research framework to unlock the full potential of the blue economy and enhance the welfare of coastal communities.He said India must “conquer the oceans through technology, innovation, and coordinated research,” much like it did in space exploration.Inaugurating the fourth edition of the International Symposium on Marine Ecosystems (MECOS-4) at the ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) here on Tuesday, Dr Somanath said the time was ripe for India to develop an integrated ocean observation programme using advanced satellites, sensors, and artificial intelligence.“A series of ocean observation satellites is under consideration, which will usher i...

Mumbai, Nov 4 (IANS) The Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC), on Tuesday, announced the schedule for the elections to 246 Nagar Parishads and 42 Nagar Panchayats in the state, officials said. There are 6,859 members and 288 presidents of these local bodies.The elections will be held on December 2 while counting is set to take place on December 3.The filing of nomination will start on November 10, last date for filing nomination will be November 17, scrutiny on November 18, withdrawal of nominations with appeals on November 25 and without appeals on November 20.The announcement was made by the State Election Commissioner (SEC) Dinesh Waghmare, who was accompanied by Secretary Suresh Kakani.Nearly 1.03 crore voters will participate in the polling and the cut off date for voters' lis...

Hyderabad, Nov 4 (IANS) Hyderabad police have arrested a woman and nine others for kidnapping her husband for ransom.Police said on Tuesday that M. Madhavi Latha, 55, is the prime accused in the case. She hired another accused to abduct her husband, Mantri Shyam, after he sold ancestral property worth Rs 20 crore.Shyam was kidnapped in the Amberpet area on October 29. He escaped from his captors on October 31, even as the police were on the hunt for the kidnappers. On the statement of theThe victim, the police registered a case and arrested the accused.According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Zone) B. Bala Swamy, four more suspects are absconding.Police said Madhavi had hired men for the abduction by promising them Rs 1 crore. Shyam and Madhavi had been living separately for thre...

New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has cautioned against the “growing tendency” to misuse Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by indiscriminately implicating distant relatives of husbands in matrimonial disputes without any proof of their direct involvement. A single-judge Bench of Justice Amit Mahajan observed while quashing an FIR registered under Sections 498A, 406 and 34 of the IPC against the husband’s ‘maasi’ (maternal aunt) and her daughter in a dowry harassment case lodged by the wife.The Delhi High Court noted that the petitioners did not reside with the complainant-wife or her husband and that the allegations against them were “vague, generic and omnibus” in nature.“Mere taunts, casual references, vague assertions or general family friction that occur in the ord...